Texas Rangers Blog

Three open jobs in bullpen still up for grabs

Bullpen woes: Manager Ron Washington maintained Thursday there are three open jobs in the middle of the bullpen. Nobody seems to be laying claim to any of them.

While right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama may have a slight edge for one spot, it is only slight. Neither Mark Lowe, Koji Uehara or any of a handful of lefties have pitched particularly well. The best performance from the group has come from lefty Robbie Ross, whom the Rangers would rather pitch this season in the minors. Lowe and Uehara each allowed homers Thursday afternoon.

The homer Uehara allowed Thursday came off the bat of Brett Jackson. Counting postseason and spring training, it was the 11th homer he has allowed in 24 1/3 innings as a Ranger. That Jackson is a left-handed hitter is double-disturbing since one of Uehara’s assets is his ability to handle lefties.

“You’d like to see them do well, but nothing has been decided yet,” Washington said. “You can have a bad spring and still make club. He’s having some problems right now, but the only thing I want is for him to not lose the confidence he has in himself.”